


Kitsune

by AnxiousBabyNightmare



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, Past Abuse, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-03
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2020-04-07 07:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19080616
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnxiousBabyNightmare/pseuds/AnxiousBabyNightmare
Summary: A fox spirit who has lost the ability to feel. Another which stand humans. And another which just wishes to be a happy family again. Can a young boy who escaped the abuse and captivity of an angry village really help them?





	1. Kitsune of Air

All the tiny creatures dispersed from the scene as a large figure ran through the forest. Panting, the shadow turned to inspect their trail. There was a mass of flames and the angry shout of the villagers echoed throughout the foliage. A bead of sweat fell from their forehead, but they continued fleeing, offering silent apologies to them all. Their grip tightened around the waist of a young boy who was wailing hysterically.

As they reached the cliff-face the figure halted and closed his eyes. He waved his free hand in the air and soon enough he began to float. He walked off the cliff and, as if there was still solid ground underneath him began to run once again. As they ascended further a great circle of light split open the clouds. Anticipation stirring in his stomach the creature quickened its approach and soon enough both were engulfed by the light.

They landed with a gentle thud on the other side, solid ground now beneath them. The boy now dared open his eyes. They now stood on a rocky plateau, with numerous other plateaus dotted around, all connected with wooden bridges. Peering over the edge, he could see a large stream, covered in aquatic plants, and dense forest on either side. He looked back up to the figure suddenly, as they lifted its head and with a brimming smile called out: “Roman!”

The young boy turned toward the sounds of footsteps approaching them, and with a massive leap, another creature appeared before them. This figure was very similar to the previous, a humanoid who wore typical feudal wear (though his leather was tanned red, whereas the one holding onto him wore light blue). 

This was not the most alarming feature. That would be the pair of fluffy white ears, and four matching tails, which were waving behind the figure frantically in anticipation.

“Patton! Did you do it?”

Patton nodded excitedly and gestured towards the boy. Roman scanned the child suspiciously. He was certainly an oddball as far as humans are concerned. His hair was a silvery hue, a lanky frame, even for someone so young, his eyes were sunken with dark circles and his attire was dreadfully grubby, the only sign of colour was the redness of his cheeks which were blotchy from the tears which were only now beginning to dry.

Roman raised an eyebrow quizzically.

“Is there something wrong Roman?” Patton asked

“It’s just that…” Roman began “I was just with Logan… but… Hey Logan! Can you get up here please?”

This time there were no sounds of furious footsteps. Calmly a third figure arrived from the other end of the bridge and unperturbed by the sight of the human child walked over to the group.

“Do you acquire assistance, Roman?” He asked, his tone monotonous.

Roman leaned closer to Logan and inspected him “Do you feel any different Logan?”

Logan coxed his head “My physical state is at its optimal, there have been no recent events to cause degradation.”

Patton gasped “Nothing changed? But I did exactly as we were told!”

“Perhaps he lied to us” Roman spat “There was no reason to tell us how to actually cure him after all.”

Logan stood there emotionless but soon pointed at the young boy who had started to cry again, mumbling quietly.

Patton placed him down on the floor and knelt down at his level.

“Aww kiddo, I’m so sorry this must be very scary. I guess since it didn’t work I’ll take you back home.”

“…no”

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you”

The boy sniffled, attempting to control his breathing before responding “Please don’t send me back there.”

Roman looked on in shock “You don’t want to be with your family?”

The boy shook his head and looked toward them all, his dark eyes glistening with fear “My parents died a long time ago, the rest of the village think I’m cursed. When you took me… that was the first time I had been out of that room for years!”

Patton could feel his heartbreak, was this boy actually grateful for being kidnapped, would he rather live with beasts than return to the village?

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help your friend.” He sniffled “But please, I’ll do anything, don’t send me back!”

Patton and Roman gave each other a look, they had an entire conversation with their eyes. They looked towards Logan who only offered them a blank stare before Patton returned his gaze to the boy.

“What’s your name?”

“…I was never given one”

Patton let out a gasp “Then we’ll think of one for you. You can stay with us.”

It was now the boys turn to gasp “I can stay… with you?”

“As if a small human like yourself could survive if we let you live alone in the forest” Roman huffed. When he didn’t receive a response, he gaped “Oh. You actually thought we were going to do that.”

Patton brought his hand to the boy’s face and, careful not to scratch him with his sharp nails, rubbed away the tears.

“Well, my name’s Patton. Don’t worry little kit, we’ll look after you from now on.”

**************

Kitsune. That’s what Patton had explained they were. Fox spirits with elemental powers and numerous tails to represent their age, with the ability to traverse to the human world as messengers. Apparently, most humans also saw them as tricksters, but from the warmth he had received from his ‘kidnapper’, he found that hard to believe. 

Patton gave the boy the name Virgil, as he, as the fox spirit put it, was on the  _verge_  of death when they found him. The name was received with a groan from Roman, a blank stare from Logan and a muffled snort from the newly-named boy.

************** 

Two weeks after being into brought into the spirit world, however, Virgil became very ill. Roman was honestly astounded that the boy could get even paler than he was previously. He looked on from the entrance of the room which they had made up for him. Patton was at the human’s side, constantly checking the boy’s temperature with his hand and replacing the wet cloth placed on his forehead. Roman detested the look of worry on Patton’s face, it had not left him ever since the boy got sick and it confused the kitsune of fire. Why did he care so much for something a frail as a human?

He let out a heavy sigh as Logan returned to the group, clasping a few books.

“Logan!” Patton turned quickly “Do you have any news?”

“Yes, I believe I understand what is wrong.” Logan adjusted his glasses “Simply put, the spirit world is very different from the human realm, the air is filled with a lot more magic and being so frail and young already Virgil’s body is struggling to cope.”

Patton’s eyes widened in terror “But we can’t open the portal until the next full moon! Is there nothing we can do?”

“I’m afraid we’re doing all we can” Logan shook his head “Keeping down his temperature and all other symptoms are his best chance of survival. It’s all about how quickly his body can accommodate to the new environment. A similar thing can happen when a human moves from a port town where the air is salty, to a forested area, where there is more pollen. Although weak humans are commendable for their adaptability.”

Patton returned his gaze to Virgil, he brought his hand to gently stroke his cheek “Oh Virgil…keep fighting my little kit.”

Neither he or Logan noticed Roman let out a huff before turning and walking away.

************** 

“I’m sorry for causing so much trouble.” Virgil coughed.

It had been another week before Virgil had awoken. His body was still weak, and he remained in bed, but Patton was simply relieved that he was making progress.

“You are no trouble whatsoever Virgil, you’re just as much family to me as the other two are.”

“…you’ve only known me for three weeks, and I was unconscious for one of them, how long have you known the other two?”

“A couple hundred years.”

Virgil raised a questioning eyebrow.

Patton giggled “You certainly have developed a sharp tongue for one so young. You remind me a lot of the other two, so of course, it wouldn’t take me long to get attached.” Patton blew on the soup that sat in a clay bowl on his lap, he offered a spoonful of it to Virgil who gladly ate.

The boy continued “Well…I wish the other two were so quick. I know Logan can’t help it, but I’m pretty sure Roman hates me.”

Patton gave him a pitying smile “Roman…hasn’t had the best experience with humans. But I hope with you being here he’ll learn that not all humans are bad!”

“…how do you know I’m not bad?”

“Hmm?” Patton tilted his head in confusion.

“…What if… the villagers were right to hate me? That I really am cursed and will bring disaster. How do you know I’m not evil?”

Patton playfully poked his chest. “Because I’m a spirit silly! I can easily see into the soul.” He stared into Virgil’s eyes “When I look at you, I see a broken heart, one of the most broken souls I’ve ever encountered. It’s like an abandoned garden, untilled and un-watered, nothing ever got the chance to grow. But if given the chance, if reintroduced to nutrients, to water, to warmth a real special flower will be able to grow. You may feel empty now, but you have the potential to be the most generous of humans.” Tears began to fall down Virgil’s face and once again Patton wiped them away. “You just need to be around people who are willing to nurture you.”

************** 

A further week past and Logan deemed Virgil fit enough to leave bed for short intervals. The boy tried jumping out of bed immediately but was promptly stopped by Logan

“Heed this warning little human. Though you may feel fine your body may take years before it has fully accommodated to the spirit world. Slow steps are needed if you wish to live. Am I understood?”

Virgil gulped but nodded. Once Logan left, Patton returned and guided Virgil outside. There was a steady breeze atop the cliff which the fox spirits had made their home. Virgil turned around to take a look at their house. The walls of the hut were made of mud, with a leaf-thatched roof, a small windmill also stood beside it, made by bamboo and palm leaves. Patton pointed to the device.

“The house was built by the three of us. Logan created the soil, I used my wind to carry water up from the ravine below us, and then Roman used his fire to dry it. The windmill was purely Logan though. The rotation provides us with energy to power a mill further down the cliff. We make rice there.”

Virgil looked up at Patton “Is that your job? You’re rice farmers?”

Patton smiled cheekily “Don’t sound so unimpressed. Rice is a valued commodity in the spirit world, it makes us one of the richest families in the realm. Which is why…” Patton rummaged through a satchel which sat by his hip. He produced a few small books and pencils to Virgil “Even though those tanukis drive a hard bargain I brought you these.”

Virgil’s mouth was agape, his eyes sparkled as he slowly reached out and accepted the gift, the first gift he’d ever been given.

“Th-thank-you so much Patton!” He beamed.

“Don’t thank me too much” The spirit winked “You’ll need to use one of the notebooks for studying, Logan insisted that was a prerequisite when I asked to buy them. He’s planning on tutoring you, so be prepared! But the other two you can use as you please.”

Patton stretched his back and stifled a yawn “Well… how about we sit outside for a while? The wind is so pleasant today and I’m sure you’d appreciate the chance to be away from that bed for a while.

Virgil nodded and followed Patton to the edge of the cliff. The fox plopped himself on the edge, closed his eyes and allowed the feeling of the wind take over him. Virgil lay on the ground not too far away, a little too scared to be so close to the edge. He opened up his book and began to draw, unsure what else to do with a book since he was unable to write yet. After a while the silence began to eat at the boy, being too reminiscent of his time in isolation. He turned to Patton:

“Can I ask a question?”

“Of course you can my dark strange kit.”

“What happened to Logan?” Virgil saw Patton’s shoulders tense up and he attempted to backtrack “Um! Sorry was that too personal? You’re right, of course, that was too personal, just ignore me I’m really sorry I-”

“Virgil, it’s okay.” Patton was quick to cut him off “I just realised we hadn’t actually explained that to you.” He let out a deep sigh “Ten years ago Logan was exploring the forest due west from here. His curiosity got the better of him and he entered a cave that was unmarked on his map. Little did he know it was the home of a serpent spirit.”

Patton looked up to the sky “The beast cursed him to never be able to feel. When he returned to us in that state myself and Roman rushed into the cave to demand that the curse was removed. Instead, the snake added another rule to the curse. ‘The only way to break the curse is to bring an unwilling human child across the portal after adorning their head with sacred rice’”

Virgil recalled the time he was captured by Patton and how the fox had scattered something over across his head, though at the time the room was too dark to see what it was.”

“…I guess I ruined that for you…”

“What? No Virgil that wasn’t your fault!” Patton jumped “Of course you were willing to leave that situation. Besides we still have plenty more chances to break the curse.”

“Have you tried again? Since me that is.”

“No, the portal to the human realm can only be opened during a full moon. Even then we can only attempt to steal a child at night as to not be seen… and humans these days are very wary of yokai so most houses are protected by charms that prevent access…”

Patton clenched his fists “But it’ll be worth it. It’s hard, but to help Logan… I’d give anything.”

Despite Patton’s reassurances, a large pain swelled in Virgil’s chest, he stared down at his picture, a rough sloppy drawing of Patton and himself. He thought himself _‘I understand that feeling…I’d do anything to make sure you’re happy Patton.’_


	2. Kitsune of Earth

It had been little over three months and Virgil was slowly accommodating to life within the spirit world.

“I am honestly impressed,” Logan remarked, “As to how quickly you have accepted some of the norms of this world, they vary greatly from your own.”

“Well…” Virgil paused “I imagine that is because I didn’t really get to experience my own world. I was locked away, I hadn’t seen the sky and the sun for so long, so even though the sky is orange and there is no sun, it just feels nice to be in an open space.”

Logan nodded “That makes sense, apologies that I cannot empathise with your situation, however.”

Virgil raised a brow “I wasn’t expecting you to, with the whole ‘no emotions’ situation.”

The fox spirit let out a huff “You certainly aren’t afraid to say things as they are, though I suppose it’s a nicer alternative to the way the others sugar coat everything.”

“You can’t blame them for that either” Virgil pointed out “They know the you that had emotions, I simply don’t know what I missed. Honestly, if you want my op-”

“Wait a second” Logan cut the boy off “Are you just prolonging this conversation as much as possible to avoid continuing your work?”

Virgil gulped, unwilling to look his mentor in the eye “…. no.” He responded sheepishly.

Another huff. “And you humans call us spirits tricky and shrew. No this won’t do, continue with your math problems please Virgil.”

Virgil shrugged “It was good while it lasted I suppose.”

“Perhaps this is the one thing I don’t understand about you” he mused “You take any opportunity you can to avoid doing work, yet your results indicate an above average intelligence for a seven-year-old human such as yourself, these questions should pose no difficulty.”

“I just don’t like sitting down in one place for so long.” Virgil admitted, “It reminds me of…captivity.”

Logan looked on to the young boy. He noted the lines of worry etched on Virgil’s face, that did not belong on somebody so young. Their experience was one of the same, whereas Virgil was trapped inside a room, Logan was trapped in his own mind. But the boy was strong, resilient. He had proven that in the way he had recovered from his sickness, the way his trauma did not completely define him, and Logan found solace in that.

“That is… concerning” Logan responded, “I shall have to think of alternative methods of teaching, for now though, I suggest you complete this page of work, then we will take a short break outside, and continue working in short bursts for the rest of the day.”

“Doesn’t that ruin your schedule?” Virgil asked.

“Even so, as a teacher, I must accommodate my style to my students.”

“…thank-you Logan.”

“Anytime Virgil”

************

Virgil found that he gravitated to Logan’s room a lot. Whereas Patton would smother him with the love and warmth of a thousand suns, sometimes he needed something a little cooler and liberating. Logan’s room was dug into the cliff where the house stood, and simply put it was a labyrinth of books. Logan had given the boy free entry to explore and borrow as many books he desired, and although many of the tomes Virgil could not read (there were many spiritual languages, and even though Logan had taught him the basics of the most universal version, these books were definitely not suitable for beginner level fluency) there were a few human texts in the collection.

On one such outing, Virgil explored the front of Logan’s room. The majority of the books were ordered by category, the shelf at the front of the room, however, was reserved for ‘heavily referenced’ books, that is, books which Logan would constantly go back to and needed to be accessible.

Virgil was half-way the ladder, practically hanging off the side as he perused the large number of titles on each shelf.

“Please refrain from falling” Logan called, his eyes not leaving the book he was currently engrossed in, as he sat by his desk “I would very much enjoy not being killed by Patton.”

“I can’t really imagine Patton hurting anyone.”

“Then you are obviously lacking in imagination.”

Virgil snorted in amusement but quickly returned his attention to the bookshelf. He paused at a particular book, which jutted out from the shelf. He reached over and tried pushing it into place. It didn’t budge. He tried pulling it out and he saw that the book was incredibly long. It was shorter than the other books, and a lot thinner, but these facts alongside its grey-white cover and glowing purple text gave off the sense that this book was rather important.

The boy tucked the book underneath his arm and slid down the ladder, landing onto the floor with a firm plop.

“I’ve told you this too many times, don’t slide down the ladder. It has steps for a reason.”

Virgil ignored Logan’s perdantics and trotted towards the fox.

“Hey, what’s this book?”

Logan closed his own book and turned towards Virgil who happily passed his discovery over.

“Ah, this thing. Honestly, I wish it did not stick out like a sore thumb, it ruins how orderly the place looks.”

“Do you need it a lot though?”

“No, it is Patton and Roman who use it.”

Virgil coxed his head “I can’t imagine Princey being the type to enjoy books.”

Logan stared blankly at the boy “You two really need to start getting along.”

“Hey, I haven’t done anything, he just doesn’t like me.”

“That’s true, though as an adolescent I doubt he has his emotions entirely in control.”

“He’s like a hundred!”

“That’s not that old at all. We spirits can live for thousands of years, and even when we die we are simply reincarnated.”

“He’s still older than me” Virgil huffed.

“Inconsequential. Emotional intelligence does not always neatly align with age.”

“Fine.” Virgil relented “But what is so important about this book?”

“Ah, it contains the instructions on how to lift my curse.”

There was a pause.

“…and you don’t want this on your shelf?”

“I am apathetic towards the matter of my emotions returning” He responded coldly.

Virgil flinched a little, he wished to argue that perhaps Logan should care, because it’s something Patton cares about, and even if he can’t feel he should know how much he’s cared about. He pushed that thought aside, however, knowing this was something Logan could not help.

“Can you read it to me?”

“Let’s go through it together. The words aren’t so complex, and it would be good practice for you.”

Virgil nodded and quickly collected a chair from a nearby table. He placed it next to Logan and climbed on. Logan quickly sifted through the pages until he got to the right section. Virgil was relieved to see there was a lot of pictures to go alongside the instructions, which made translating a little easier.

“To…lift the curse of a…nag-a?” Virgil attempted to read the title.

“It is commonly pronounced na-ga.” Logan corrected “They are a spirit which takes a half-humanoid half-serpent form.”

“So it was a naga which cursed you?”

“That is correct. Though bear in mind I hold no grudge against them.”

“You would require emotions to hold a grudge.” Virgil pointed out.

“True. Though I understand that I was trespassing on their territory unwittingly, it was only natural for them to attack.”

“I guess so…” Virgil responded, he certainly did not appreciate the curse because of the strain it had caused on the foxes, though he understood Logan’s point. He continued:

“A human child…must un..willingly? Pass through the…the”

“Portal.”

“Portal which connects…the physical and…spiritual…”

“Plains. It is another word for world.”

“Okay. The physical and spiritual plain while blessed with sacred…rice?”

“Yes, well done. Sacred rice is created by washing grains in one of Inari’s ponds, there is one rather close by in the forest.”

“Who’s Inari?”

“Inari is a human spirit. He is a close friend to the kitsune and often calls upon them for aid. He’s… family, I suppose.”

“Ah okay, I guess that also explains why Patton threw rice on me when we first met. But wasn’t there something else, about a full moon?”

“Correct. The portal which connects our two worlds can only be opened on a full moon. Here.” Logan explained. He deftly flipped through the pages until he got to a page which featured an image of a giant swirling portal, which Virgil noted to be the same as the one he had passed through. Logan tapped the page, prompting Virgil to translate:

“To open the portal, a circle must be drawn using…”

“A larch wood branch, those are the trees of the nearby forest.”

“A pile of… stones should be built in the…centre and the following spell should be cast… I have no idea what the rest of these words mean.”

“That’s probably because they have no human translation, they are magic words after all. Try speaking them anyway, it’s important for you to also learn how to communicate in our language as well”

Virgil read aloud:

_‘Tuksi go sroa tkaaku Kagammii wa azenn’na tūska o koyka sruu o koytate Sēpusu’_

“Almost” Logan praised “but Kagam-me should be pronounced Kagam-my. It’s very important to get the pronunciation right. A mistake may lead you thousands of miles away from your destination, or worse it could send you drifting in the in-between, the space between our worlds.”

Virgil paled at the thought “Well, it’s not like I want to return there so, I guess its something I don’t have to worry about.”

“You are a strange human.” Logan remarked, “I imagine most people prefer being around others who are like them.”

“It’s not like I had the best experiences around other humans.” Virgil pointed out “You spirits have shown me more hospitality, so as long as I don’t cause you all any trouble I’m perfectly content.”

Virgil looked over towards Logan and was slightly taken aback by what he saw. Logan’s eyes had become dull, his lips pressed tightly together, it was as if his entire body had frozen in time. Virgil felt the panic flare up inside him as he reached for Logan’s arm.

“Logan are yo-”

“That is very satisfactory Virgil.”

Virgil pulled his hand away quickly as soon as Logan responded. He stared at the fox, who in response simply tilted his head.

“Is something the matter.”

“I- uh. I don’t think so?”

“You sound rather unsure.”

“That might be because I am, are you oka-”

“Dinner’s ready!” The sound of Patton broke Virgil sentence as his head swivelled toward the sound.

“You should make your way up now Virgil,” Logan suggested. “I’ll be with you as soon as I return this book.” With that, he stood up and made his way toward the shelf.

Virgil stared at him for a few seconds before complying, making his way toward the door.

************ 

Roman rolled his eyes as he watched the human child scarf down the soup. He was honestly tired of the boy as soon as he had arrived into their lives, and as such these past three months had been absolute agony.

He tried to tune out the boy’s slurps and munching and turn his attention to the conversation of his fellow kitsune, though he grimaced once he realised what the topic of conversation was.

“…and his studies have been progressing smoothly. From what I know of human culture and ability he is certainly brighter than average, particularly in areas of problem solving and literature. His comprehension of spiritual language has also progressed rapidly, hopefully, we can move on to speaking aspects.”

“I knew my little kit was a genius!” Patton gleamed.

“…you do realise kit is not the proper term for a human-”

“But he’s  **my**  kit, Logan.”

“…that was not an explanation, you just repeated your previous statement.”

“It’s okay Logan” Virgil spoke, quickly gulping the mouthful of soup “I don’t mind being called a kit. It’s endearing in a… Patton-y kind of way.”

“…That’s not a proper adjective.” Logan tried to object, though he was drowned out by Patton’s squeals. The air fox leaned over to embrace the young boy.

“You’re just so cute!” Patton coddled, causing Roman to snort. The other three looked at him.

“Roman.” Patton sighed “Don’t tell me you still don’t like Virgil eating with us.”

Roman turned his head in dismissal “I just don’t see why he has to.”

“Because he’s family.” Patton pointed out.

“Besides, we don’t have another table in this room, and it seems illogical for him to eat anywhere else but the dining room.”

“…I’m not some kind of pet you know…” Virgil grumbled.

“And what, I am?” Roman jumped from his seat, growling accusingly at the young boy.

The boy evidently flinched, which was good. Roman wanted him to be scared, but he soon retorted at him with equal volume.

“Did I even say something remotely close to that?”

“You didn’t have to, it’s what you meant.”

“Why would I mean that? This is your world, why would you be a pet?”

“Shut up.” Roman growled

Virgil let out a frustrated sigh “Look.” He began “Just tell me what I did to you, no one here is liking this hostility.”

“What you did?” Roman spat “You’re human. That’s all the reason I need.” With that, the fox stormed out of the house.

Virgil stared on with shock, before dropping his head “sorry…” he muttered, not entirely sure whether he was apologising to Roman, the others or himself.

Logan readjusted his glasses and rose from his seat. “I shall go and find him, Patton.” He stated.

Patton nodded but offered no verbal response. Logan gave a curt nod to Virgil, who responded with a weak smile before he headed off in pursuit.

Virgil turned towards Patton “Are…are you okay?”

Patton turned towards him, his eyes shining with tears, but gave a reassuring smile. “I should be asking you that. I’m sorry he said those things.”

“It’s okay… I’m used to being hated.”

“You shouldn’t though” Patton shook his head “You shouldn’t.”

Virgil paused, debating quietly with himself whether or not his question was appropriate to ask. Though seemingly Patton had guessed what the boy was thinking and answered anyway.

“Roman had had some bad experiences with humans.” He began “It was around a hundred years ago, he was pretty young and pretty reckless. One night on a full moon he travelled to the human world to explore, he’s always been a little too curious. He was caught by some humans, caged and was taken around the country as part of some freak-show. It wasn’t until two years later that Logan and I found him, his back was scarred and bloody from being whipped, and he was so malnourished he could barely lift his head.”

Virgil stared on in silence, the words processing in his mind. Soon enough he responded, his voice small and sheepish “is it really okay for me to be here then? You guys are going through so much, it might be-”

“No. Absolutely not.”

Virgil’s head jerked up as Patton pulled him into a hug “You have suffered just as much as we have. I can’t imagine what I would do, if I was left to deal with all my pain by myself, there’s no way I’m letting you go through that.”

Virgil smiled and returned the hug. “Thank-you Patton. I’ll try and make peace with Roman.”

“You’re too mature for your age” Patton chuckled.

“…can I ask another question?”

“Of course kiddo!”

Virgil broke the hug, needing space to try and phrase his concern. “When I was with Logan earlier, there was this moment where he… spaced out? He wouldn’t reply to me for a long time and he looked….” The boy shrugged, unsure of how to finish his sentence.

“Ah, yes that happens sometimes” Patton nodded “You see because of the curse he cannot experience emotions. His capacity to feel is still there though just locked away. Sometimes when something happens, or someone says something that would have elicited a strong emotional response that part of his brain tries to break free. It never works though so he just sort of stops in his tracks for a while.”

Virgil nodded in understanding “So that means…”

“I think it’s a sign that, even though he can’t express it, he really does care about you, Virgil. When those moments happen, it gives me a lot of hope, that there’s something still there to save.” Patton smiled warmly at the thought.

Virgil looked on, his hands clenching at his clothes tightly. He was more determined than ever to save his family. But he was just a child, what could he do. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, praying for the day he grows up and could be of some use.


	3. Kitsune of Fire

“Roman! Stop running ahead!” The young boy shouted as he broke out into a jog to catch up with the kitsune.

“I’m not slowing down for you little human. If you can’t catch up then how can I trust you can help at the farm?”

“I’m not little and you know it! I’m thirteen” Virgil called.

“You’re not even a tenth my age, that makes you little” Roman barks in response.

The two had finally made there way down the winding cliff path to arrive at the rice fields below the kitsune’s home. Patton soon caught sight of their descent as he finished filling his basket with cut rice plants.

“Roman slow down! You know Virgil still needs to pace himself!” He called.

Both Roman and Virgil rolled their eyes, one in exasperation from constantly being told off, the other annoyed at the constant coddling.

“I can work just fine…” Virgil mumbled.

“Typical human” Roman huffed “Always ungrateful. Do you know how much we’ve sacrificed to look after you?”

“I’m fully aware, thanks.” Virgil grunted as he walked toward Patton

* * *

“Good morning kit.” Patton beamed “How are you today?”

“I’m well, thank-you Patton” Virgil nodded “Anything particular you want my help with?”

“Just the usual, the moisture in the rice around this part seems perfect. Can you work from the edge of the forest upwards?”

“Sure thing.” The boy smiled as he brought out his hand scythe. “I’ll get going.”

As he hurried off Roman arrived at Patton’s side, letting out a huff.

“Roman please…”

“Don’t. You can’t expect me to be happy he’s still here.” Roman spat out. He looked over to their right “That rice looks ready, I’ll start there.”

As Roman stormed off Patton looked on, his hand clenching his chest.

***************************

He’d only been working in the rice fields for a few months now, but the fact that he still couldn’t keep up with the others frustrated Virgil to no end. By the time he had completed a small area, Roman had already filled his second basket, and Patton had brought his five back up the path to the mill.

This had meant that quarrelling duo had been left alone, working awkwardly close to one another in comparison to the mass expanse of the field.

Virgil turned his head away from the rice field and peered off into the murky darkness of the forest. It was the first time he had really looked this closely at the place, and he found the wildness of it all rather unsettling. He stared at one of the closer trees, eyeing it up and exploring the routes each branch took.

“Larch wood.” He spoke out, absentmindedly.

“Huh, a botanical expert are we now?” Roman chastised.

Virgil ducked his head in embarrassment “I… I just remember Logan mentioning a while ago that the forest was made of larches.”

“Well you must have heard wrong, that’s an oak.”

“Ah…”

Roman sighed “Larches have pine needle leaves, and are taller and narrower than an oak, see?” He pointed further down the side of the field, where indeed the top of a tree was poking out atop the others.

“Oh, thanks.”

“Thanks? Is there a reason you needed to know what a larch tree was?” Roman huffed

“No… I guess I just realised how little I really know. Hard to learn it all just from books, y’know?”

“You’re thirteen, I don’t think even humans expect you to know everything at this point.”

“…there’s a pool somewhere in there right?” Virgil asked.

“A pool?”

  
“The pool of… what was it, Inachi?”

“Inari Ōkami, idiot!” Roman snapped “Don’t go around misnaming such a powerful spirit.”

 _‘Powerful?’_  Virgil thought “Sorry, do you know how to get there though?”

“Why the hell do you want to go there?” Roman’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.

“Well…I figured I should probably go introduce myself. Logan said he was like family to you and I’ve been living here awhi-“

“He already knows you’re here” Roman cut him off.

“Re-really?”

  
“Yeah, he’s watching over us, even now. We don’t get to decide when we get to see him, we can only find his pool when he wants us to.” Roman explained, “Though he hasn’t shown himself at all since you’ve gotten here.”

Virgil turned towards the forest once again, intrigue and dread filling his heart.

“Maybe he’ll beckon you one of these days, punish you for butchering his name.” 

“Roman!” Patton shouted. The two turned to see both Patton and Logan approaching them “Stop trying to scare him.”

“I wasn’t-“

“It’s pretty obvious that scaring was your intent,” Logan nodded in agreement “Besides if Inari was to punish Virgil for misnaming him, he’d also punish you for insinuating he is anything other than benevolent.”

“You always take his side and you aren’t even kin! You’re supposed to be my brothers!” Roman shouted.

“We are your brothers” Logan affirmed, “But I see no reason as to why that should affect us pointing out that you’re wrong.”

Roman growled “Because he’s human. Every time I look at him I get sick to my stomach, why do you insist on keeping him here?”

“Because he has nowhere else to go.” Patton replied “Please Roman, you need to learn not all humans are bad, Virgil has done no-“

“I don’t care, I can see what he is. That’s all that matters! And just because he has nowhere to go doesn’t mean I don’t.” He turned toward the forest, but not before turning to Virgil. “Homewrecker” he spat as he ran into the shadows of the trees.

Virgil ducked his head, clenching his fists in an attempt not to cry. He wondered why he was born this way, would he be happier if he was born a spirit? He felt the gaze of the whole world on him, and he realised how out of place he really was. He shook his head, determined that he had to make amends. He turned towards the other two, who were talking amongst themselves.

“Shouldn’t we-“

“I wouldn’t concern yourself, Virgil,” Logan responded calmly “he often does this. He’ll be back before the sun sets with his tails between his legs.” He turned towards Patton “Though I admit it is odd, after five years of cohabiting with one another, I’d expected Roman to accept Virgil was here to stay.”

“I’m not that surprised.” Patton admitted “I mean… I can’t think of a time Roman has called him anything other than ‘human’. I was really hoping having Virgil here would teach him that humans aren’t all bad… but.” Patton sighed “…perhaps I’ll have to be more direct with him when he comes back, for now we should head back. Virg-?”

Patton paused mid-sentence as he turned to where Virgil once stood.

Where Virgil  _should_  have been standing.

But instead there was a vacant space, and the sound of a rustling thicket as the boy made a hot pursuit.

***************************

“Go away!” Roman roared as he quickened his pace.

“You can’t just leave Patton and Logan. They need you!” Virgil called in response. He tried to keep up the pace, but Roman knew this forest like the back of his hand and was very agile, so the distance between them only furthered.

“It seems they’d much rather have you around than I!” He retorted, grinding to a halt in order to accuse the young boy from atop a high branch “Do you know how hard it is? Having this constant reminder of how much I suffered back then, flaunted in my face as if nothing is wrong. I wished we’d sent you back at the first opportunity we got!”

“You think I want to go back!” Virgil shouted, “I have just as much reason to hate humans as you do!”

The fox turned around sharply in surprise, only to see the young boy shaking in anger, tears pricking his eyes.

“Don’t you think it hurts, knowing I remind you of something so horrible? All I hear about is how evil our entire race is, all it does is make me hate myself more. I didn’t…haa” Virgil felt his mind reeling. He began to cough, causing him to lose his balance and to take a step back in hopes to regain it. All he could focus on now was how laboured his breathing felt. “I didn’t ask to be… _haa_  it’s not my fau-“

“Virgil?” Roman jumped off the branch onto the ground, a hint of concern in his eyes.

“ _Haa_ …” Another flurry of coughs escaped his mouth as the boy collapsed to the ground “I’m sorry… _haa_ … I don’t know what-“

“You’ve overexerted yourself by running after me. You know that your body hasn’t gotten accustomed to this world yet.”

“Wha? It’s been five years” Virgil sputtered “How can I not be accustomed yet?”

Roman walked over and placed his hand on the boy’s forehead in an attempt to asses the damage. Virgil looked up to the fox, genuinely surprised at the interaction, he tried to think back to a time where Roman had physically touched him but found that he drew a blank. Before he could revel in the experience however, he drew his eyes downcast, warning himself that the only reason this was happening is that Roman would get in trouble for not doing otherwise.

“Five years may be long for a human” Roman explained “but for a spirit, it hardly makes up a fraction of our lifespan.”

The tears that once pricked his eyes were now cascading down his face, as all the frustration Virgil had been feeling was let free.

“Fuck!” he spat.

Roman looked away from the scene, it felt as though a war was happening in his heart. Should he still be angry that a human had inserted himself in his life? Should he feel happy that there is someone here who can relate to his experience? Or should he feel guilty? Guilty for trying to push this harmless child away.

Though his heart was undecided, for the first time his mind was: He couldn’t leave the boy here. He turned back to Virgil and gently placed one arm under the boy’s legs, the other hand cradling his back as he lifted him.

Virgil’s breath hitched as he was raised, but he remained for the most part unresponsive, opting to hide his face away into Roman’s chest.

“Let’s get you back, the others will know what to do” The fox whispered as he sprinted back to their home.

*************************** 

Virgil would have to spend the good part of two months bed-ridden. That was the verdict Roman was given as Logan stepped out of Virgil’s room. Roman’s ears flattened against the side of his head, partly out of concern, but mostly because he knew what was to happen next.

Logan looked over to Patton, the two exchanging a brief nod, before Logan excused himself to the library.

Patton looked towards Roman “Kitchen. Now.”

*************************** 

Roman honestly felt rather small as he sat beside the kitchen table. The air was thick, as a silent Patton was busy making some tea. Roman had tried to start the conversation, but as soon as a noise had escaped his mouth, he was cut short by a low growl.

A cup was placed in front of him, as Patton sat on the opposite side of the table.

“Are you sorry?” Patton asked the coldness of his tone was a shock, reminding Roman more of Logan in his emotionless state.

He gulped before responding with: “I don’t know.”

Patton’s eyes narrowed, his grip on his cup tightening as he stared at the fox, looking into his eyes for any truth.

What he found was indeed conflict, the glimmer of Roman’s eyes as they darted away from his gaze indicated numerous emotions. The elder kitsune sighed.

“You really should feel sorry.”

“I didn’t ask him to follow me. In fact, I think I made it perfectly clear that I didn’t want him anywhere near me.”

“And yet you brought him back, so you can’t exactly hate him.”

Roman gripped the sides of the table, part of his fangs showing as he gritted his teeth. “I don’t know how I feel”

“Five years. You’ve been tormenting him for five years, almost half of his life he’s been trying to earn your forgiveness, for something that he didn’t even cause! Please Roman, you can hate the people who did this to you, but you can’t hate an entire species for the acts of a few.” Patton teared up as he pleaded with his brother. Roman stared back, realising now that guilt was very much winning the battle inside him, and he began to acknowledge something about what he had done.

He was the one who taught Virgil to hate humans.

“I….” Roman’s voice quivered as he tried to continue to look towards Patton “I need to know something. Something that I know you’ve been quiet about.”

“What is it?”

“What state was Virgil really in? When you found him that night?”

There was a long pause before Patton “Ah…I suppose you did keep your distance for those first three months, so you wouldn’t have seen…”

“Please tell me. It’s the only way for me to know how big of a mistake I’ve made.”

Patton stared into his tea, his eyes shimmered with a sadness Roman had only seen on very solemn occasions.

“His clothes were so baggy when he arrived that it hid the fact that he was just skin and bones. I’d only really realised how malnourished he was when I picked him up to steal him away. He was so…light. I’m ashamed to say it now, but I was so focused on Logan at the time I didn’t really process how awful his living arrangement was. There were no entrances into the room but a small window on the roof, as if they had built the room around him. There was a small bucket in one corner to defecate, and food would be passed down to him from the ceiling, usually cold rice and water. At least that’s what he explained to me. They apparently saw him as some sort of demon, because of his intelligence for one so small, because of the colour of his hair, and eyes. He wasn’t treated as a human.”

Patton looked up to Roman

“He was treated like he was one of us.” Roman finished. “He was treated like I was.”

Patton nodded “I won’t deny it, there are humans that are evil. But we also know our fair share of evil spirits, right? There is a spectrum of morality for a reason, no group falls under the same place on the scale. Do you understand?”

“Y-eah” Roman choked. “I’ll make this up to him Patton”

“You better,” Patton warned, his eyes sharpening. “You better become the best big brother he could ever ask for. Otherwise, there’ll be hell to pay.”

***************************   
It would be around another week before Virgil was lucid enough to talk again. His fever, although still high had settled down by quite a bit, and Logan confirmed that he was well enough for Patton and Roman to sit with him for longer periods of time.

It took another few days after this announcement, however, for Roman to knock on the door and enter the room.

Virgil had been reading a book as Roman entered. The boy had Patton’s name on his lips, but as he was about to call the air kitsune to sit down, he turned and realised he wasn’t in his presence.

“Roman?” he questioned.

“Don’t tell me your eyes are so bad you mistook me for Patton” Roman huffed as he pointed to his redshirt “Patton is the one in blue, remember?”

Virgil’s face scrunched up “I’m not an idiot.” He spat “Patton has been the only one to see me for the last few days, I wasn’t wrong to assume that it was him. Besides, you hardly ever struck as someone with enough manners to knock before entering a room.”

Roman growled “Don’t make this any harder for me hu- … Virgil.” He walked towards the chair which was beside the bed a dropped his weight down onto it “I came here to apologise.”

“You’re apologising for me running into the forest and making myself ill?” Virgil raised an eyebrow

“Of course not, that’s on you and I hope you’ve learned how stupid that was.” Roman muttered “I… need to apologise for… everything else.”

Virgil remained silent at this, warily watching Roman as the kitsune continued:

“Patton told me again… about the condition you were in when he found you. I guess I was so frustrated I never really took the information in before now.” Roman sighed. He looked towards Virgil, tears in his eyes as he choked out “We’re the same.”

A small smile breached Virgil lips as he looked back “Yeah, yeah we are.”

“I let my anger get the better of me” Roman admitted “I ignored what the people I cared about had been telling me all this time. You. You have been nothing but patient with me, but I still refused to see you as anything other than a villain.”

“I wouldn’t describe all my actions as patient.” Virgil offered sheepishly.

“That’s what makes this worse! I have spouted nothing but venom about your kind that you started hating them as well. I made you impatient. That… isn’t healthy.”

“…maybe it wasn’t healthy.” Virgil agreed “But what I was doing before, wasn’t healthy either. I used to believe what they told me, that I was cursed, evil. But all three of you taught me that wasn’t true. Patton and Logan taught me I was worth saving. You taught my anger was justified, that I was allowed to feel that way.”

Roman stared at the boy, marvelled by how articulate he had become with his feelings.

“I have a right to be angry at the people who did this to me. You have the right to be angry at the people who hurt you. No one has the right to hate all of humanity, and we definitely don’t deserve to live our lives consumed with anger.” The boy sighed “We’ve got a lot to make up for, huh?”

“We have all the time in the world Virgil. I will make this up to you.”

Virgil smiled and offered his open arms, beckoning Roman into a hug. As he accepted it, Virgil stared on at the door, a thoughtful look on his face as he wondered how true those words were.

They didn’t have all the time in the world.

_Not with what he had in mind._


End file.
